Beyond
by Vinni Pukh
Summary: When tragedy strikes and Chloe is lost, Clark begins an epic race against time to bring her back.
1. Digital Love

**Title:** Beyond

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** Romance/Adventure

**Author notes:** Future installments of this story are completely dependent on the number of reviews I get, so please let me know what you think.

**Summary:** When Chloe disappears in time, Clark goes on a epic journey to bring her back.

**Disclaimer: **All characters are owned DC Comics/Warner Bros. Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

**Chapter One**

Metropolis was ruins; buildings that hadn't been completely demolished in the hours of bitter struggle had been aged into premature dilapidation, the powergrid was failing and the city's water supply was hemorrhaging internally underground, and the sounds of sirens were everywhere. The battle had ended minutes ago, but those few members of the League that could still move or even stand were already tending to the wounded or performing emergency evacuations.

The strongest of them, however, was still staring into space in utter disbelief.

"Clark, we need to get going," Ollie prodded gently while trying to patch his own arm back together. "There's no time to waste."

Clark, however, remained silent.

"_Clark_," Ollie repeated more forcefully.

"I'm going after it," Clark said, not even turning to face him.

"Clark," Ollie hissed, "We barely survived first contact with this thing. And that was _all of us_. You can't possibly think you can go after this thing alone."

"_It ate Chloe_!" Clark screamed, the rage in his eyes starting to burn out as heat vision.

"Look," Ollie said, trying to sound comforting, "I know this girl must have been important to you..."

"She was important to _all _of us!" Clark roared. "She _saved your life_, Ollie! How can you not remember that?"

There were volumes of sympathy written on Ollie's face, but they were clearly all for Clark and not the missing Chloe. "That's how this thing works, Clark. _It_ _eats time_. Moments, decades... If it wasn't for us, it probably would have taking out the entire Twenty-First Century. You know I'm right!"

Clark said nothing. Part of him was thinking about Chloe telling him that she could accept being a sacrifice if it was for the greater good, about the Legion telling him she was the only one of his friends history didn't recall, about the way his father died...

"I'm going to find the Chronovore and I am going to make it give Chloe back," Clark said unshakably. "And there's nothing on Earth or Krypton that's going to stop me."

Before Ollie had a chance to launch another protest, Clark ran off at super-speed, trying to catch the Chronovore's trail while there was still time.

Ollie watched his friend go, then found his phone and dialed a familiar number. "Hey, it's me. Let everyone know that the _minute _they've got things stabilized here, we're going to have to go after Clark... No, he hasn't gone Red K on us or anything, we just need to bring him down for his own good."

He shook his head and severed the connection. "Looks like I'm going to have to dig out those _special_ arrows," he chuckled without mirth.

Less than three feet away, Chloe watched the whole scene unfold with exponentially growing concern. "Why can't they hear me?"


	2. Human After All

**Chapter Two**

From their secure location among the rooftops, the three members of the Legion watched as the red and blue blur raced his way across Metropolis.

"You know... I always wonder," Garth reflected, "at times like this, when he really needs to find someone... why doesn't he just use his Super-Voice?"

Imra shrugged. "Maybe it's another power he hasn't figured out yet."

"Maybe it's apocryphal," Rokk conjectured.

Garth screwed up his face in frustration. "Wait... you mean not only can't he fly, but he doesn't _have_ a Super-Voice that will echo perfectly backwards, forwards, and sideways through time and space? Then how does he sing into the Miracle Machine in his final battle with Darkseid?"

"Garth..." Rokk sighed.

"I'm just_ saying_..." Garth raised up with hands in surrender. "Clark's a nice guy, but he's kind of a disappointment."

"Focus on the Chronovore," Rokk instructed. "We have to stay between it and Kal-El no matter what."

"He taught us not to kill," Garth argued.

"Then we die," Imra replied. "Kal-El's future is what really matters."

Rokk nodded and Garth got very quiet.

Suddenly, he didn't have much to say.

---

Clark burst into the hospital waiting room, a eyes darting around for somewhere to place the wounded boy.

"I'm afraid there's not much room left," Dr. Cross told him, gesturing across the overcrowded room. "Little enough we can do for them now, anyway. "

The blind doctor held his arms out anyway and Clark handed him the boy. "I'm sorry," Clark said reflexively.

Dr. Cross smiled. "The two of you never need to apologize for saving lives."

"Two?" Clark turned his head and came face to face with Impulse.

"Hey, Clark," Bart waved sadly.

---

After a long night trying to prove her own existence, Chloe was beginning to have her own doubts.

She could still touch objects she wasn't trapped in a single room, but since no one seemed could see her and she was finding absolutely no trace that she had so much as been born, all that meant was there was little hope of Jimmy finding her on his radio this time. If he even knew to look.

Jimmy.

He hadn't been at the Planet and his cellphone went to voicemail, but at least she had found enough to know that _he_ still existed and, if he wasn't out covering this disaster, she knew he still lived at his old apartment. She didn't know what she'd find, but she had to see him.

With purpose Chloe made her way through the Daily Planet parking lot, and there, parked across two handicapped spaces was Lois's car, one of the few she could take without feeling like she was outright stealing and, more importantly, possibly the only vehicle in Metropolis whose owner would actually be careless enough to leaving the keys locked in the ignition.

"Lois," Chloe smiled in recognition.

...Then instantly let it drop.

Chloe reached a thin arm through the slightly open window and grabbed the latch.

---

"You know, Ollie told us to shut you down," Bart told him casually. "He said that you were making some bad decisions and... we needed to stop you from doing something really stupid."

"You believe him?" Clark asked brusquely.

Bart shrugged. "Ollie's the leader for a reason," he said, uncharacteristically serious.

Clark nodded. "He's more experienced."

"You wouldn't step up," Bart corrected.

Clark took a second to process this.

"So, are you going to try to stop me?" he asked finally.

Bart shook his head. "Too many people to save right now."

Clark nodded solemnly. "I've been running back and forth from the hospital, too."

Bart lowered his head. "Sounds about right... you were always the one telling me about responsibility and sacrifice."

Clark lowered his head shamefully.

"I think you taught all of us that, really," Garth continued. "Ollie, Arthur, Vic... there's not one of us that isn't in this because of you. So..."

"So..." Clark repeated

"...So, maybe you should just trust us to pick up the slack for once," Bart finished, cracking a smile.

And suddenly Clark felt himself smiling back at him. "Thanks, Bart."

"Hey, I'm giving you some time," Bart replied, "use it while you can."

And Clark was off, so fast even Bart could barely follow him.

"Yeah," Bart mumbled.

----

For the first time since the day began, Clark was starting to feel positive.

He had worried about having to fight against the League, he had worried more about shirking his duty to the World to save Chloe... but now he realized he should have more faith in his friends. He was always forgetting that there were people out there that wanted to help him and would understand his need to put himself first just this one time. There were people who really cared about him and trusted him.

Those were his exact thoughts up to the moment he doubled over in Kryptonite-induced agony.

"Sorry, Clark," AC said, looming over him. "But orders are orders."


End file.
